Background
The Kerala Forest Department records that Eravikulam National Park was established in 1978 and spans approximately 97 square kilometers. It lies in the Idukki and Ernakulam districts of Kerala. The park is situated in the Kannan Devan Hills of the Western Ghats, with high-altitude grasslands and shola forests at elevations around 2,000 metres. It encompasses Anamudi Peak, which the department describes as the highest point in South India at 2,695 metres.
Established:
1978
Area:
approximately 97 square kilometers
Districts:
Idukki and Ernakulam
Anamudi Peak:
2,695 metres
Why it matters for exams: Anamudi's height and the two districts the park falls in are standard one-mark facts, and the department's own page states both.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Shola Shola forest — Patches of stunted montane evergreen forest found in the folds of high-altitude grassland in the Western Ghats.
Background
The Kerala Forest Department describes Silent Valley National Park as a pristine tropical rainforest in the Nilgiri Hills of Kerala, renowned for its biodiversity. It was declared a national park in 1985. The department lists its endangered fauna as the lion-tailed macaque, scientific name Macaca silenus, the Nilgiri langur and the Malabar giant squirrel. The park is a stretch of tropical moist evergreen forest. It is one of a small group of national parks that the department says showcase the biodiversity of the Western Ghats.
Declared a national park:
1985
Hills:
Nilgiri Hills
Flagship species:
Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)
Why it matters for exams: The year it became a national park and the lion-tailed macaque's scientific name are asked repeatedly in state and central examinations.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Macaca silenus Macaca silenus — The scientific name of the lion-tailed macaque, an endangered primate of the Western Ghats.
Background
Two of the 18 sanctuaries in the Kerala Forest Department's list are bird sanctuaries. The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary covers 25.000 sq km and its year of formation is given as 1983. The Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary covers 0.027 sq km and its year of formation is given as 2004. Mangalavanam is the smallest protected area in the department's sanctuary table. The department describes its sanctuaries as gene pools for a vast array of species and as ecological buffers that regulate water flow and prevent soil erosion.
Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary:
25.000 sq km, formed 1983
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary:
0.027 sq km, formed 2004
Why it matters for exams: Pairing the two bird sanctuaries with their areas and years of formation is a common matching question in state examinations.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
Bird sanctuary Bird sanctuary — A protected area notified mainly for the conservation of bird species and their habitat.
Background
The Kerala Forest Department lists 18 wildlife sanctuaries in the state, covering 2156.21 sq km. The oldest on the list is the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, 777.000 sq km, with a year of formation of 1950. The most recent is the Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary, 227.970 sq km, formed in 2019. The largest after Periyar is the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary at 344.440 sq km, and the smallest is the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary at 0.027 sq km. Four sanctuaries on the list were formed in a single year, 1984: Shendurney, Chinnar, Chimmony and Aralam. The department notes that India has 573 wildlife sanctuaries spanning 123,762.56 sq km as of November 2023, which is 3.76 per cent of the country's geographical area.
Sanctuaries in Kerala:
18
Total area:
2156.21 sq km
Oldest in the list:
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, 1950
Most recent:
Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary, 2019
Why it matters for exams: The number of sanctuaries, their total area and the oldest and newest in the list are a standing question set drawn straight from the Forest Department's own table.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Wildlife sanctuary Wildlife sanctuary — A legally protected area notified for the conservation of wild species and their habitat.
10 October 2026
The Home (Political) Department of the Government of Meghalaya issued Public Notice No. POL.95/2026/Pt./18 on 7 October 2026 on appearance before the fact-finding committee regarding the setting up of Shree Cement Company in East Jaintia Hills District.
The notice states that those who have filed representations may appear before the Committee in person on 13 October 2026 at the Circuit House, Khliehriat, East Jaintia Hills District, from 10:00 A.M., along with the relevant documents in original.
The Committee was constituted by Notification No. POL.95/2026/5 dated 8 September 2026, in pursuance of Letter No. POL.57/2025/203-A dated 3 September 2026, and is chaired by Shri C.V.D. Diengdoh, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya.
Its terms of reference are to inquire into the cause and circumstances leading to the disruption of the public hearing called by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board on 31 July 2026, and to assess the possible impact of setting up the company from environmental, social, legal and criminal standpoints and submit a comprehensive fact-finding report.
An earlier public notice of the same department, No. POL.95/2026/Pt./04 released on 21 September 2026, had invited representations from persons, organisations and the public.
A fact-finding committee of this kind is an executive inquiry: it takes statements and reports to the government, and is not a court.
Public notice number:
POL.95/2026/Pt./18
Date of the public notice:
7 October 2026
Appearance before the Committee:
13 October 2026, from 10:00 A.M., Circuit House, Khliehriat
Committee constituted by:
Notification No. POL.95/2026/5, 8 September 2026
Chairperson:
Shri C.V.D. Diengdoh, IAS
District:
East Jaintia Hills
Department:
Home (Political) Department
Why it matters for exams: It is a clean example of a State government using an executive fact-finding committee on an industrial project, with the notification numbers and dates that examiners like to pin a question on.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Fact-finding committee Executive committee of inquiry — A panel the government sets up to gather facts and report to it, without the powers of a court.
Background
Hurricane Isaias came ashore on the United States Gulf coast on 9 October 2026 as a category 2 storm, a rating given on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, so the scale itself is worth knowing. The National Hurricane Center describes the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale as a 1 to 5 rating based only on a hurricane's maximum sustained wind speed. This scale does not take into account other potentially deadly hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding, and tornadoes. The scale estimates potential property damage. While all hurricanes produce life-threatening winds, hurricanes rated Category 3 and higher are known as major hurricanes, which can cause devastating to catastrophic wind damage and significant loss of life. Hurricanes of all categories can produce deadly storm surge, rain-induced floods, and tornadoes, and these hazards require people to take protective action, including evacuating from areas vulnerable to storm surge. In the western North Pacific, the term super typhoon is used for tropical cyclones with sustained winds exceeding 150 mph.
Scale range:
1 to 5
Major hurricane threshold:
Category 3 and higher
Super typhoon, western North Pacific:
sustained winds exceeding 150 mph
Why it matters for exams: Examiners ask what the hurricane category measures and what it leaves out, and the major hurricane threshold is a one-line fact.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Maximum sustained wind Maximum sustained wind speed — The highest average wind speed measured over a standard period, used to rate a hurricane.
Major hurricane Major hurricane — A hurricane rated Category 3 or above on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
10 October 2026
Malaysia ordered school closures on 9 October 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Selangor, affecting about two million students. Kuala Lumpur's Air Pollutant Index stood at about 170, in the unhealthy band above 100; readings above 200 are very unhealthy and above 300 hazardous. Under the rule applied, schools are to close when the API reaches 150 or higher. Fires have burned across six Indonesian provinces, scorching at least 200,000 hectares, and Indonesia's health ministry has recorded more than 170,000 respiratory infections. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called the haze worrying, spoke with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and asked the foreign minister to seek an urgent meeting of ASEAN environment ministers. Malaysia is also stepping up cloud seeding, and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek promised parents more advance notice of future closures.
Kuala Lumpur API:
about 170
School closure threshold:
API 150
Students affected:
about two million
Area burned in Indonesia:
at least 200,000 hectares
Respiratory infections recorded:
more than 170,000
Why it matters for exams: Transboundary haze is the standard example of a regional environmental problem handled through ASEAN cooperation.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
API Air Pollutant Index — Malaysia's air quality scale; readings above 100 are unhealthy and above 300 hazardous.
Background
The Man and the Biosphere Programme operates under the guidance of UNESCO Member States.
Its main governing body is the International Co-ordinating Council, also known as the MAB Council or MAB-ICC.
The Council is composed of 34 Member States, elected by the biennial General Conference for four years.
Each Member State has one vote, but can choose to send more experts or advisers to the Council sessions.
The MAB-ICC usually meets once a year, and its sessions are usually held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris or hosted by a MAB-ICC Member State.
At its meetings the Council elects a chairperson and five vice-chairpersons, of whom one functions as a rapporteur; these form the MAB Bureau, to which the authority of the Council is delegated between sessions.
The MAB-ICC designates new biosphere reserves and takes note of recommendations on periodic review reports of biosphere reserves.
The MAB Secretariat implements the decisions of the Council and coordinates the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, while the International Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserves gives scientific and technical advice on that Network.
Members of the MAB Council:
34 Member States
Term of a Council member:
four years
Body that elects the Council:
biennial General Conference
Votes per Member State:
one vote
Composition of the MAB Bureau:
a chairperson and five vice-chairpersons
How often the Council meets:
once a year
Why it matters for exams: Biosphere reserves are asked every year, and the body that actually designates them, with its size and term, is the part candidates most often get wrong.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MAB Man and the Biosphere Programme — The UNESCO programme that designates biosphere reserves and works on the relationship between people and their environment.
MAB-ICC International Co-ordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme — The main governing body of the MAB Programme, composed of 34 Member States.
MAB Bureau Bureau of the MAB Council — The chairperson and five vice-chairpersons elected by the Council, who exercise its authority between sessions.
Background
The International Maritime Organization is responsible for more than 50 international conventions and agreements and has adopted numerous protocols and amendments.
IMO has six main bodies concerned with the adoption or implementation of conventions: the Assembly and the Council are the main organs, and the committees involved are the Maritime Safety Committee, the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Legal Committee and the Facilitation Committee.
In early conventions, amendments came into force only after a percentage of Contracting States, usually two thirds, had accepted them, which in practice led to long delays.
Under the tacit acceptance procedure an amendment enters into force at a particular time unless, before that date, objections to the amendment are received from a specified number of Parties.
Under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, an amendment to most of the Annexes, which constitute the technical parts of the Convention, is deemed to have been accepted at the end of two years from the date on which it is communicated to Contracting Governments.
It is not accepted if objected to by more than one third of Contracting Governments, or by Contracting Governments owning not less than 50 per cent of the world's gross merchant tonnage.
This period may be varied by the Maritime Safety Committee, with a minimum limit of one year, and amendments generally enter into force within 18 to 24 months.
Enforcement of IMO conventions depends upon the Governments of Member Parties, which enforce the provisions for their own ships and set the penalties for infringements.
Conventions and agreements IMO is responsible for:
more than 50
Main bodies concerned with conventions:
six main bodies
Deemed acceptance period for most SOLAS Annexes:
two years
Objection threshold by Contracting Governments:
more than one third of Contracting Governments
Objection threshold by tonnage:
not less than 50 per cent
Minimum period the Maritime Safety Committee may set:
one year
Usual time for amendments to enter into force:
18 to 24 months
Why it matters for exams: Tacit acceptance is the standard answer to why maritime safety rules change quickly, and it is a favourite contrast with ordinary treaty amendment.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IMO International Maritime Organization — The United Nations specialized agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
SOLAS International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea — The principal IMO treaty on the safety of merchant ships; its Annexes carry the technical requirements.
Tacit acceptance tacit acceptance procedure — An amendment procedure under which silence counts as consent, so an amendment takes effect unless a stated number of Parties object in time.
Background
The World Meteorological Organization comprises the World Meteorological Congress, the Executive Council, Regional Associations, two Technical Commissions and the Research Board, and the Secretariat.
The World Meteorological Congress is the highest decision-making body, and additional bodies are established by Congress.
The Executive Council implements decisions adopted by the Congress.
The six Regional Associations coordinate meteorological, hydrological and related activities within their respective Regions.
Experts on the Technical Commissions and the Research Board study technical matters and make recommendations to Congress and the Executive Council.
The Officers of WMO are a President and three Vice-Presidents, who are also chair and vice-chairs of Congress and the Executive Council.
All Officers and members of the Executive Council act as representatives of the Organization and not of particular Members.
The Secretary-General directs the work of the Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, and is the legal representative of the Organization.
Regional Associations:
six
Technical Commissions:
two
Officers of WMO:
a President and three Vice-Presidents
Secretariat headquarters:
Geneva
Why it matters for exams: International organisations are a standing topic, and the Congress-Executive Council-Regional Association ladder of the WMO is the part most often asked.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WMO World Meteorological Organization — The specialized agency of the United Nations system for weather, climate and water.
World Meteorological Congress World Meteorological Congress — The highest decision-making body of the WMO, which also establishes additional bodies.
Executive Council Executive Council of the WMO — The body that implements the decisions adopted by the Congress.
Background
Dampa Tiger Reserve lies in Mamit district, in the west of Mizoram.
It occupies an area of 500 sq. km and is the largest wildlife reserve of the state.
The rich rainforests of Dampa harbour several species such as the swamp deer, tiger, leopard, elephant and hoolock gibbon.
Low altitude galliformes and leafbirds of the genus Chloropsis are among the birds of these forests.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority lists a single tiger reserve for Mizoram, Dampa, under its North East Zone.
The reserve is 127 km from Aizawl by road.
Lengpui Airport is the nearest airport to it and Bairabi the nearest railway station.
Area of Dampa Tiger Reserve:
500 sq. km
Tiger reserves listed for Mizoram:
Mizoram (1)
Distance from Aizawl by road:
127 km from Aizawl
Nearest airport:
Lengpui Airport
Nearest railway station:
Bairabi Station
Why it matters for exams: A state's only tiger reserve, its area and its district are a single-mark question that comes up in both state and central papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The central body that maintains the list of India's tiger reserves and approves their conservation plans.
Galliformes Galliformes, the order of ground birds — The order of heavy ground-feeding birds that includes pheasants and partridges; low altitude galliformes are visible at Dampa.
Background
Lawngtlai District is situated in the southernmost part of the state of Mizoram.
Phawngpui, the tallest mountain in the State, stands at a height of 2,157 m above mean sea level.
Phawngpui mountain along with the surrounding reserve forest makes up Phawngpui National Park, covering an area of approximately 50 sq. kms.
The park is the natural home of the state animal serow, and of the slow loris and the Asiatic black bear.
The slopes of the mountain are covered by orchids and rhododendrons.
Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over an area of approximately 110 sq. km, holds virgin sub-tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
Lawngtlai District is cut into two parts by Lunglei District and Siaha District; its eastern part lies on the eastern side of the Chhimtuipui River, the biggest river in the state.
Height of Phawngpui:
2,157 m above mean sea level
Area of Phawngpui National Park:
approximately 50 sq. kms
Area of Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary:
approximately 110 sq. km
State animal of Mizoram:
serow
Biggest river in the state:
Chhimtuipui River
Why it matters for exams: The highest peak, the national park built around it and the state's biggest river are the three geography facts a Mizoram question set almost always touches.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Serow Capricornis, the goat-antelope group — A goat-like mountain mammal of the eastern Himalaya and the north-east hills, and the state animal of Mizoram.
Reserve forest Reserved forest — A forest area notified by the state, where the reserve forest around Phawngpui forms part of the national park.
Background
Aizawl is the largest city as well as the capital of the state of Mizoram.
The city lies north of the Tropic of Cancer, in the northern part of Mizoram.
It is situated on a ridge 1132 metres (3715 ft) above sea level.
The Tlawng river valley lies to its west and the Tuirial river valley to its east.
In the summer the temperature ranges from 20-30 degrees Celsius, and in the winter 11-21 degrees Celsius.
The State Assembly House and Civil Secretariat stand in the city.
Vantawng Khawhthla, or Vantawng Fall, on the Vanva river near Thenzawl, is the highest and most spectacular of all the waterfalls in the fast flowing rivers of Mizoram.
Altitude of Aizawl:
1132 metres (3715 ft) above sea level
Area of Aizawl district:
3,576 Sq. Km
Population of Aizawl district (2011 Census):
400,309
Literacy Rate of Aizawl district:
97.89
Assembly constituencies in Aizawl district:
14
Height of Vantawng Fall:
750 ft
Why it matters for exams: The capital's altitude, the two river valleys that flank it and the state's highest waterfall are standard State Focus recall points.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MSL Mean Sea Level — The average level of the sea surface, used as the zero mark from which altitude is measured.
Khawhthla Waterfall in Mizo — The Mizo word for a waterfall, as in Vantawng Khawhthla.
Background
East Khasi Hills District forms a central part of Meghalaya and covers a total geographical area of 2,748 Sq. Kms.
The most important physiographic feature of the district is the Shillong Plateau, interspersed with river valleys, which falls sharply in the southern portion forming deep gorges and ravines in Mawsynram and Shella-Bholaganj.
Shillong peak, lying 10 Kms. from the city, is the highest point in the district as well as in the State.
The climate ranges from temperate in the plateau region to warmer tropical and sub-tropical pockets, and the whole district is influenced by the south-west monsoon.
The name Shillong is derived from U-Lei Shillong, a powerful deity.
At Sohra, Mawsmai Cave is an accessible part of Meghalaya's cave systems, while Arwah Cave is famous for crustacean shells and fish bones fossilized in its limestone walls.
Noh Ka Likai has a straight plunge of over 1000 feet, and Noh Sngi Thiang, with a drop of more than 300 metres, is segmented into seven parts and is popularly referred to as the Seven Sisters Falls.
The district headquarter Shillong is connected to Guwahati and Silchar by NH 44.
District area:
2,748 Sq. Kms
Shillong peak:
highest point in the district as well as in the State
Noh Ka Likai:
A straight plunge of over 1000 feet
Noh Sngi Thiang:
a drop of more than 300 metres
Why it matters for exams: The Shillong Plateau, the State's highest point and the limestone caves and waterfalls of Sohra are standard physical-geography material for Meghalaya questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NH 44 National Highway 44 — The highway by which Shillong is connected to Guwahati and Silchar.
Sohra The plateau town also written Cherrapunji — The southern plateau edge of East Khasi Hills where the district's best known caves and waterfalls lie.
Background
The Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is located in the north-east of India on the Tura Range, which forms part of the Meghalaya Plateau, with an average altitude of 600 metres.
Nokrek is the highest peak of the Garo Hills at 1,412 metres, and the north of the reserve has gently undulating hills while steep slopes characterise the south.
Its major rivers include the Ganol, Dareng and Simsang, with the Simsang the longest and largest; the Ganol flows westward into the Brahmaputra River.
Evergreen and semi-evergreen deciduous forests dominate the landscape, and 90 per cent of the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is covered by evergreen forest.
A remarkable variety of endemic Citrus grows in the reserve, especially Indian wild orange (Citrus indica).
Representative species include cotton tree (Bombax ceiba), hairy sterculia (Sterculia villosa) and golden shower tree (Cassia fistula).
Threatened fauna include the slow loris, the giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis) and the pig-tailed macaque (Macaca leonina), and hoolock gibbons receive special protection.
UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere page gives the surface area as 82,000.00 ha and the total population as 22084.
Year of nomination:
2009
Surface area:
82,000.00 ha
Total population:
22084
Highest peak of the Garo Hills:
Nokrek, 1,412 metres
Evergreen forest cover:
90 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Nokrek is one of India's UNESCO biosphere reserves and its wild citrus and Garo Hills setting are frequently asked in environment and geography sections.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MAB Man and the Biosphere Programme — The UNESCO programme under which biosphere reserves such as Nokrek are designated.
Citrus indica Indian wild orange — The endemic wild orange that makes Nokrek a reservoir of citrus diversity.
Background
Manipur Tourism describes Loktak Lake, in Bishnupur District, as the largest fresh water lake in the North–East India; it is 48kms from Imphal City.
The lake's surface carries floating islands called Phumdis, on which fishermen live in floating huts known as Phumsangs.
Visitors get a bird's eye view of the lake from Sendra, and boating and water sports are organised at Takmu Water Sports Complex.
Keibul Lamjao National Park, located on the Loktak Lake, is described as the only floating National Park in the world.
The park is the last natural habitat of the Sangai (Rucervus eldii eldii), the dancing deer of Manipur.
Other wildlife in the park includes Hog Deer, otter and a host of water fowls, besides migratory birds.
The Forest Department of Manipur maintains watch towers and two rest houses within the park.
Bishnupur district's own site notes that its small rivers, except the Khuga River, start from the hill located at the west of the Tiddim Road and flow towards east, falling into Loktak Lake.
District of Loktak Lake:
Bishnupur District
Distance from Imphal City:
48kms from Imphal City
Floating islands on the lake:
Phumdis
Floating huts of the fishermen:
Phumsangs
Scientific name of the Sangai:
Rucervus eldii eldii
Rest houses inside the park:
two rest houses
Why it matters for exams: Loktak, the phumdis and the floating national park are the single most asked Manipur geography-ecology cluster in both Kerala PSC and UPSC papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Phumdi Floating island of matted vegetation on Loktak Lake — Manipur Tourism calls them floating islands on which fishermen live.
Phumsang Floating hut built on a phumdi — The floating huts of Loktak's fishing families.
Sangai Rucervus eldii eldii, the dancing deer of Manipur — Keibul Lamjao is its last natural habitat.
9 October 2026
Deputy Commissioner, Tseminyu, Japheth Woch, NCS, notified firecracker restrictions within Tseminyu District with immediate effect, in compliance with Supreme Court directions.
Sale and use of firecrackers other than Green Crackers certified by NEER/CSIR and bearing a QR code is strictly prohibited.
Manufacturing, sale and use of firecrackers containing Barium salts and joined firecrackers, called Laris, is completely banned.
Bursting is permitted only from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Diwali and other festivals, and from 11:55 PM to 12:30 AM on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
No temporary licence for sale of firecrackers will be issued without verification of Green Crackers certification.
Bursting within 100 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, educational institutions, primary health centres, courts and other designated Silent Zones is prohibited.
Violations will attract penal action under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and relevant provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
District:
Tseminyu, Nagaland
Diwali bursting window:
8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Silent Zone radius:
100 metres
Penal provision:
Section 223, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Why it matters for exams: Green cracker rules, barium salt bursting bans and the 100-metre silent zone come straight from Supreme Court directions that districts across India now enforce.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
BNS Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — The criminal code that replaced the Indian Penal Code in 2024.
CSIR Council of Scientific and Industrial Research — The central research body whose laboratories certify green cracker formulations.
9 October 2026
Six weeks after Nepal's flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild and will need sustained help, the UN Children's Fund said on Friday. At least 1,400 people were killed, including 84 children, and nearly 5,300 people are still missing. The flooding began in late August when a mountain of glacial ice and rock collapsed into the Bhotekoshi, Upper Trishuli and Narayani-Gandak rivers, unleashing a torrent that washed away bridges and homes. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, reporting from Kathmandu, said affected towns and villages look like war zones and that access to some communities in Rasuwa remains difficult. Caroline Holt of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said relief supplies are still being airlifted to the most isolated areas, and that families face disrupted markets, higher transport costs and shortages of essential goods. Elder said the Himalayas are warming about twice as fast as the global average, while Nepal produces only 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. He urged that pledges on loss and damage be turned into support that reaches families, ahead of the UNFCCC climate summit COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye, from 9 to 20 November.
Killed:
at least 1,400, including 84 children
Still missing:
nearly 5,300
Nepal's share of global emissions:
0.1 per cent
COP31:
Antalya, Turkiye, 9-20 November
Why it matters for exams: The item carries exact casualty figures, the rivers involved and the COP31 venue and dates, all of which are directly examinable.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies — The global body of national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, based in Geneva.
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — The treaty under which the annual COP climate summits are held.
9 October 2026
Milton Dick, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia, was declared elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on 9 October 2026, the last day of the 153rd IPU Assembly held at Arusha in the United Republic of Tanzania.
Harivansh, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who led the Indian Parliamentary Delegation, and other members of the delegation congratulated him immediately after the result was announced.
On the fourth day of the Assembly, 8 October 2026, the delegation attended the debate on the emergency item “Urgent parliamentary action to address climate-related disasters and strengthen resilience in the Himalayan region and other vulnerable regions”, which was proposed by Nepal and adopted on the third day.
Anurag Singh Thakur, Member of the Lok Sabha, spoke in support of the emergency item and took part in the Bureau and the meeting of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights.
Sasmit Patra, Member of the Rajya Sabha, attended the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs and the hearing with the candidates for the post of IPU President.
Lata Wankhede, Member of the Lok Sabha, attended the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development and a panel discussion on artificial intelligence and the future of work.
The General Debate of the Assembly was on the theme “Enhancing good governance and empowering communities through inclusivity, trust and opportunities for all”.
New IPU President:
Milton Dick, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia
Assembly:
153rd IPU Assembly
Venue:
Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania
Indian delegation leader:
Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha
Why it matters for exams: A newly elected head of an international parliamentary body, the host city and country of the Assembly, and the country that moved the emergency item are standard one-mark facts.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union — The global organisation of national parliaments, whose Assembly adopts resolutions on world affairs.
ASGP Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments — The body of senior parliamentary officials that meets alongside IPU Assemblies.
9 October 2026
The Steeple Renewables Project, a solar farm in Nottinghamshire, was granted development consent by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Planning Inspectorate announced.
The project provides for approximately 450MW of solar energy generation and approximately 150MW of Battery Energy Storage System capacity.
The applicant is Steeple Solar Farm Limited.
The application was submitted on 14 May 2025 and accepted for examination on 11 June 2025, with a six-month examination.
The Examining Authority made its recommendations to the Secretary of State on 10 July 2026, and the decision was published on 9 October 2026.
The decision was made by Baroness Curran on behalf of the Energy Secretary's legal authority.
The Planning Inspectorate said this was the 115th energy application out of 183 applications examined to date, and that it was completed within the statutory timescale laid down in the Planning Act 2008.
Solar capacity:
approximately 450MW
Battery storage capacity:
approximately 150MW
County:
Nottinghamshire
Recommendation to Secretary of State:
10 July 2026
Why it matters for exams: It gives a named project with megawatt figures and shows how the United Kingdom consents large energy projects through a central Secretary of State rather than a local council.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
BESS Battery Energy Storage System — A battery installation that stores electricity and releases it when the grid needs it.
Development consent Development Consent Order — The single permission the UK grants for a nationally significant infrastructure project.